Former England captain Alastair Cook has defended England’s abysmal performance and players mentality in the ongoing series calling the India tour “tough” and at the same time lauded Ben Stokes and co for making the series competitive.
“There’s a little of the human element that comes into it. We are sitting here away from the emotions of the game. We are sitting here at home watching the telly. I am not defending England but they have been away for getting on eight weeks. It’s a tough tour they’re not robots,” Cook said on TNT Sports.
“I am not defending their performance but there is a human element.
“I would want them to get home to get out of the pressure. We sit here, having cups of coffee, watching them getting beaten heavily by India, but human element of a player now going through the next couple of days is going to be incredibly tough.
🗣️ "There's a little of the human element that comes into it. They have been away for getting on eight weeks, they're not robots."
Sir Alastair Cook gives his thoughts on the England mentality during the fifth test.
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“Sometimes their mind wonder when you are playing in a dead rubber. You also can’t call it a dead rubber when you are playing for England. But when you have thrown everything in the series come up short like that.
“They did pretty well in the first few Test matches, make it more competitive than anyone I think honestly said in the first four Test matches. It is a tough place to be.”
India are on the driver’s seat on Day 2 of the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill scored dominant centuries on the second morning as India took firm control.
Sharma was unbeaten on 102 runs, while Gill was batting on 101 not out, as India reached 264-1 at lunch.
The two batters amassed 129 runs in 30 overs of this morning session, after India was placed at 135-1 at stumps on day one. England was bowled out for 218 runs in its first innings.
India already won the series against England before the fifth and final test, taking a 3-1 lead despite losing the first match in Hyderabad.
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